Heeding the Banshee’s Call

An Interview with Brett Anstey

Damned by Dawn (Aust-2009, directed by Brett Anstey)

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Brett Anstey has worked with film and television editor Dave Redman among others as a longtime collaborator on the production of short films. He is currently completing work on a supernatural horror thriller titled Damned by Dawn, which was shot back in 2006. Its huge number of visual effects has meant a marathon post production time and will be completed soon.


Damned By Dawn – Official Movie Trailer
from The Amazing Krypto Bros on Vimeo.

Synopsis:

During a violent thunderstorm, a family is awoken by piercing shrieks that summon the dead to rise again. Their lives explode in a blood-soaked fury as they battle malevolent spirits… whilst fighting to save their souls from eternal torment with … the Banshee.

I interviewed Brett recently about himself and his film.

In simple terms it’s a supernatural horror film, with dashes of Irish mythology. When we were in development, we repeatedly used the term, “beautifully haunting” to describe it. I’ve always been a huge fan of the Hammer horror films and they were a big influence on the overall look and tone.

When I was 6 years old, one Saturday my Dad took me to see a double bill of Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger plus Godzilla vs Megalon. Then the following day we went to see Star Wars. So from that point on I was obsessed with monsters and movies! It’s fair to say that one weekend changed my life! I wanted to be the guy who created the monsters; I wanted to be the next Harryhausen!

Through researching banshees, I discovered there are many different interpretations. Is she a young lady? A washer woman? An old hag? If you hear her wailing, does it signal it’s you who will die? Or is it a loved one? So then it was just a case of what will work best within our story.

Read the full interview here.

This entry was posted in Film, Ghosts, Interviews, Zombies. Bookmark the permalink.

1 Response to Heeding the Banshee’s Call

  1. Pingback: Damned by Dawn (2009) | All Films Blog

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